That long, long wait came to an end on Friday when the Lakers hit the floor against the Wolves in their preseason opener in Palm Springs. Let’s just say it was far from the best that the Lakers could put on the court with both LeBron James and Anthony Davis sitting out.
Still, that left plenty of minutes for a host of other Lakers, leading to some standout showings even in a game the team lost and trailed for effectively the whole game. With only Jaxson Hayes among the rotational centers available, a lot of very small lineups were on the floor.
With plenty of grades to dole out, let’s get to the loss right away. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. “A” grade represents the average performance for that player.
Of course, it’s the preseason. Let’s not take these too seriously, either.
Rui Hachimura
22 minutes, 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 3-7 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-2 FT, -12
It’s genuinely tough to grade Rui with him having to play as a center for large stretches of this game surrounded by four guards. It’s one thing to step into LeBron’s role when he sits; it’s another to step into AD’s.
There were some positive moments. He missed some open jumpers that you’d want back. He finished at the rim.
But I am pretty much just giving him a full pass for this game and will grade him a bit more on Sunday.
Grade: B
Jaxson Hayes
21 minutes, 9 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 3-4 FG, 3-3 FT, -8
Hayes didn’t really show anything different than he did last season, but that’s not a bad thing. He was energetic, active and flying around the court. I’m interested in seeing him with more rotational players but I came away from this game thinking he had a good showing.
Grade: B+
D’Angelo Russell
21 minutes, 14 points, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 6-11 FG, 2-5 3PT, -8
Similar to Rui and the yet-to-be-mentioned Austin Reaves, I’m kind of waiting to grade those in the starting lineup until they’re surrounded by LeBron and AD.
D’Lo looked fine overall. I liked that he got to the rim a bit. His banked-in 3-pointer made me audibly laugh, too. But we know he can do that. Let’s see how things look in this new system with the stars.
Grade: B
Austin Reaves
25 minutes, 16 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 2-9 FG, 2-5 3PT, 10-10 FT, +0
Going 10-10 at the line on a night when you couldn’t make a shot inside the arc is a true grifter game and I applaud Reaves for it.
It seemed like Reaves was caught between two minds tonight with his drives. When he would go to the floater, it was as though he couldn’t decide whether to shoot it on the glass or straight in for multiple shots off the back of the rim.
What I really will be looking for this preseason is his defence. It took a noticeable step back early in the year last season but he is feeling healthier now so I’d like to see whether he can regain his form in that respect this season.
Grade: B
Max Christie
34 minutes, 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 5-9 FG, 1-5 3PT, +0
Are the Lakers going to be terrible in the non-Max Christie minutes this season?
If I was giving out an MVP for game one, I think I’d give it to Christie. In short, he looked like the guy head coach JJ Redick and LeBron had praised over the summer and into training camp.
I wasn’t really expecting him to flash his passing chops, but everything else was about what I expected from rebounding and defense. It’s all just coming together for what should be a big year from Max Christie.
Grade: A
Dalton Knecht
25 minutes, 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 7-13 FG, 2-7 3PT, -13
When I declared Christie my MVP of this game, I’m sure a few of you loudly yelled, “What about Dalton Knecht!” And you know what? That’s an entirely fair selection, too!
Knect is still probably out of the rotation when everyone is healthy. Still, the fact he came into the game and Redick immediately started calling plays for him feels telling.
What he did in Summer League is going to translate to the NBA and based off one preseason game, it’s a matter of when, not if, he breaks into the rotation.
Grade: A
Gabe Vincent
15 minutes, 11 points, 1 steal, 4-6 FG, 2-4 3PT, 1-1 FT, +1
You want a stat that’s sad but true? Gabe Vincent’s two 3-pointers tonight means he’s now one shy this preseason from matching his total in 2023-24.
I would imagine this is something like what the Lakers expected in terms of impact from him last season. He came in, provided a scoring punch and tough defense. Ideally, that’s what he’ll be able to do in the actual games, too.
Grade: A-
Jalen Hood-Schifino
27 mins, 6 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 stl, 1 block, 3-9 Fg, 0-1 3PT, -7
Undoubtedly this is the best JHS has looked for the parent Lakers in his short career. Even on a night where his shot wasn’t falling, he was incredibly impactful on both ends. He had a number of nice finds, and made a few nice plays defensively as well.
His path to the rotation is a bit steeper but, like Christie, he’s been trending in the right direction this summer.
Grade: B+
Bronny James
16 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 1-6 FG, 0-1 3PT, -12
Bronny got into the game probably earlier than most expected on Friday, but it was a welcome barometer test for him early on.
Defensively, all the potential is there. He can make an impact on that end right now and he did at times on Friday. Offensively, though, he is far away.
I would imagine a lot of his work in the G League this year will be about him finding ways to be productive offensively.
Grade: C
Colin Castleton
12 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 2-4 FT, -1
I think the fact that Castleton did not get any minutes in the first half and only played once garbage time came around is pretty telling of his standing on the team. He is a fine G League player, and he can have a career as a two-way type guy who bounces between the G League and the back end of NBA benches, but at this point, he is not flashing anything else.
Grade: C-
Maxwell Lewis
10 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block, -20
You know how hard it is to finish a preseason game – ones where things are weird – with a plus-minus of -20 in 10 minutes? That’s entirely contextual and not on Lewis, but he is also nowhere close to producing.
At this juncture, it would not be a surprise in the slightest if he were to be dealt in a salary dump trade. He simply does not look remotely close to a productive NBA player.
Grade: D
Armel Traore, Kylor Kelley, Quincy Olivari
All three guys saw the floor late in the fourth quarter. Outside of Kelley committing a pretty hard flagrant foul, there was nothing notable from them.
JJ Redick
I am absolutely not grading Redick on a preseason game, particularly one without LBJ and AD. Including this bit only for your knowledge that I did not forget about him.
I’ll be reserving judgment and further observation on him until we have a bigger sample size on him.
Be the first to comment